Beware cowboy gas engineers

A winter boiler breakdown is miserable, and without a repair plan you might be tempted to hire the first person you can find to fix it. 

However, you would be wise to check the qualifications of the person carrying out the work before employing them, if the results of a new study are anything to go by.

New research from Gas Safe Register reveals that illegal gas fitters are doing a quarter of a million jobs in the UK every year, including fitting and servicing appliances such as boilers and gas hobs. 

The study, carried out for Gas Safe Register, estimates that 7,500 ‘hardcore’ illegal workers are doing these jobs without the required skills or qualifications.

Commenting on the research, Phill Brewster, Gas Safe Register’s national investigations manager said:

“Gas and cowboys do not mix.  One in ten of the illegal gas installations we investigated in the last nine months have been Immediately Dangerous and we had to disable the appliances straight away to make them safe.”

And it’s not only the outright cowboys who you need to look out for.  As well as finding illegal gas fitters around the country, Gas Safe Register also keep checks on registered fitters to ensure they are not undertaking work they are not qualified to do, as Brewster explains:

“We want everyone to understand that different types of gas work require different qualifications.  The work that engineers can legally do is listed on the back of their Gas Safe Register card – it’s so important you check this every time you have work done.”

So, just because you had your gas heater fitted by a Gas Safe registered engineer, it does not mean that the same person is qualified to repair your broken boiler.